Practice makes perfect
These articles are written in English while I learn Japanese. My goal is to learn enough that I can start writing the articles in Japanese. I hope these articles can also help those who are looking for something to read.
It's an old saying, but I guess it makes sense in a lot of the things we do. We're not born with an entire set of skills as if we were playing a game. We often have to invest a lot of time and effort in order to become "good" at something, never mind mastering it. Well, I guess this is the starting point for me trying to write Kana and Kanji.
Before I go any further, I have to acknowledge it has been a while since my last posts. I've had a mixture of other things popping up, with work and a trip back to South Africa for documents being the main reason for my sudden disappearance. The feeling of nostalgia as you drive along the familiar roads you've known for most of your life hits pretty hard. The food also brought back a flood of memories, while a trip to the Drakensberg made for a lovely new memory. Friends and family were visited, with a "braai" (kind of like a barbecue outside with meat cooked on griddles over coals) topping it all off.
Back to the main part of the article.
I've been slowly trying to learn Japanese in order to have better interactions with friends I've been making while gaming. It's a lot more difficult to do so when communication, often a key part of multiplayer gaming, is missing. I've been trying to learn what I can through less traditional methods such as Duolingo and youtube videos, but I guess there's nothing quite like trying to put some sentences down on paper to realise there is still something to the old ways we've been taught in school. Memory doesn't just work from watching a video or tapping on a few options on a screen. It needs a blank sheet of paper and practice. In my case, it also helps to have a friend who can make suggestions, give some examples and is willing to put in time and effort to help out (as well as listening through my reading… it's currently very rough). Kaz-san, thank you very much!
It's a completely different feeling to put yourself out there and try something like learning a language. I'm a bit socially anxious and often find myself struggling with new people. It's difficult to put yourself in a situation where you don't feel completely comfortable, and it's equally difficult to do it in real-time. I don't manage to say exactly what I want to say, even when speaking English. Writing is a lot easier to get through because you have more time to think about what you're going to put in words rather than having to say things as you're thinking about them. When there's silence as you're trying to form a sentence from the words you actually know, it's hard for the listening person to know what's happening.
Writing the few sentences out has been an interesting experience. At this point I'm not aiming for perfection, but I am aiming for what I write to make sense. The sentences made are simple so that there is less chance of misunderstanding, and higher chances for me to get some meaning across. I think that's also where I need to take my verbal communication. If it's about being understood, silence isn't good for communication. another phrase that gets said a lot is "keep it simple." Thoughts can sometimes race around, clouding the ability to communicate. "I don't know the exact translation for this word," "I'm taking too long," "I'm going to sound dumb." These are often thoughts that hold me back, and while I know it as it is happening, I still find it difficult to break that cycle and just let whatever I can say come out. I'm hoping the writing will be the starting point to help unlock more on the verbal communication side. After all, even when writing, there is a part of me that is thinking these sentences. There's a part that is moving forward.
Thank you for reading.
